(Paige sings in Maori)
(both sing in Maori)
- Oh, I was reading the wrong one.
- Kia ora, everybody, my name is Hana Mereraiha,
and my role in the kaupapa of Waiata Anthems
is to provide tautoko around Te Reo,
and I am a translator.
(upbeat music)
And it's just so awesome, to be able to work
with amazing artists, from your emerging artists,
right through to more established artists.
You know, in order to plant those seeds
of hope and aspirations in everybody,
who, you know, from those who are being raised
in Māori speaking families,
right through to those who are taking their first steps
in their Reo journey.
This is for you all.
(dramatic music)
So with me today, I have Paige, speaking to Paige,
who was one of the artists
that I was fortunate enough to work with.
Talk us through that journey and the decision
that you made to actually translate,
have these two waiata translated.
- So I, yeah, I grew up in a Pākehā neighbourhood
in South Auckland.
So, we were never exposed to Māori,
or, like, anything about it.
So, I guess, when I got asked to do Waiata Anthems,
I thought it was a really good opportunity for me
to be connected again with my Māori side
and remember, kind of, like, being like,
"Oh no, like, I'm embarrassed because I'm Māori,
and I don't know how to speak Māori,
and I know nothing about Māori," and all that.
And I was kind of like,
"What if I come off as being, like, ignorant
or anything like that?"
I think, to be honest, if I can do it,
I think anybody can, just because, I dunno,
it's a really special journey to go on.
Yeah, my family, they're really wanting to learn a lot more
and it kinda made the journey of learning the songs
so much more special, I guess,
even though it's special enough learning it by yourself,
but when you've got your whanau kind of supporting you
and enjoying the journey with you, it's like,
it's really cool.
(upbeat music)
- So, you know, it was interesting
being in that space with her
and actually studying her kupu.
We went through, sifted through line by line
and she gave me the backstory, the context,
and we worked together in creating a piece
that was truly in keeping with a Māori way
of viewing the world.
And so having Lorde, you know, I guess offer up her platform
opened up a whole new domain for the language to exist.
And it's good for our Reo,
and so basically we need all hands on board,
(speaks Maori).
(dramatic music)
So yeah, Georgia and I worked together
on her waiata, "My Love,"
which I had the privilege of translating into Te Reo Māori
as part of the Waiata Anthems compilation.
- I think the biggest thing for me is, you know,
before this whole process, if someone was to have said,
"Would you translate your song into Te Reo Māori?"
I probably would have said, "No."
And not because I didn't want to or didn't have the desire,
but because I feel the lack of knowledge
or the lack of knowing, you know,
knowing the language and understanding,
and probably have just been a little bit scared and fearful
and being Pākehā, like, I don't have any Māori in me,
and I think this whole process has been really important
and a real growth and learning opportunity for me
in breaking down, I guess, that fear and that barrier
that I've maybe held subconsciously.
Yeah.
- Yeah, we have a saying in Te Reo Māori,
that says (speaks Maori).
And that's just about, just embracing or, I suppose,
just facing your fears.
- I like that. (Georgia laughs)
- It's so important, you know,
for the survival of our language,
and as a bi-cultural nation, and now multicultural,
we have so many, you know, (speaks Maori).
And it's so important, such an important part
of the fabric of our nation that Te Reo Māori
is embraced and loved.